A Brief History of Roja Parfums
Roja Parfums was founded by British perfumer Roja Dove (born Roger Bird). Roja was born in 1956 and his interest in perfume began at a young age. One night, as his mother kissed him goodnight, he could smell her perfume and the scent lingered in his room for a long time. As Roja grew older, he attended the University of Cambridge to study medicine and would eventually drop out to pursue perfume and work with French perfumer Guerlain. Guerlain would eventually be acquired by a larger company, which did not appeal to Roja. So after working for Guerlain for 20 years Roja went on to launch his own custom perfume service, Roja Dove Haute Perfumery, which opened in the luxury British department store Harrods in 2004. Roja Parfums, his own fragrance line, launched in 2011.
Roja Dove is considered to have one of the most significant noses of this century and claims to be able to identify over 800 scents from a single sniff. He uses only the finest raw materials and with high quality come a high price tag. On average, his 1.7 oz fragrances begin at $450. He offers a wide range of scents and appeals to both men and women, as his sales are equally split amongst each demographic.
Below are some of my favorite Roja Dove fragrances, along with their note breakdown.
Elysium Parfum
Elysium is probably his most famous fragrance. It’s an excellent fragrance for the warmer months of the year in spring and summer.
Top notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lime, Lavender, Thyme, Artemisia and Musk
Heart notes: Lily of the Valley, Rose de Mai, Jasmin de Grasse, Apple and Blackcurrant
Base notes: Galbanum, Pink Pepper, Cypriol, Vetiver, Cedarwood, Juniper Berry, Benzoin, Vanilla, Labdanum, Leather, Ambergris and Musk